Take that, UConn! Yesterday, George Mason erased a little of the pent up hostility I have against the UConn Huskies for 1990. Let me take you back in time to the Meadowlands, Sweet Sixteen, 1990. Clemson about to go to the Elite Eight, being led by Elden Campbell and Dale Davis, They were the regular season ACC champions. But, when Tate George hit that shot (3 pointer) at the buzzer off an improbable in-bound play, I almost fainted. Mostly, what I remember after that shot is that stupid Huskie mascot running on the floor, almost knocking over some of the Clemson players. Well, yesterday, that Husky didn't have a chance to do a stupid floor dance. George Mason sent the tournament's number one seed home yesterday with an 86-84 OT victory, sending a 11 seed to the Final Four. Last time an 11 was in the Final Four, was 1986 with LSU. Speaking of LSU, guess who is also going to Indianapolis? LSU dominated Duke, spoiling CBS' dream match-up of a Duke-UConn final. UCLA, who had NO business beating Gonzaga the other night, is the third team going to Indy, while Florida completes the Final Four. I hope Florida doesn't win it, just for Joakim Noah wearing his hat the way he was yesterday. Plus.....it's FLorida. I'm an FSU fan. I can't pull for the Gators. They'd rescind my Florida citizenship.
In my last posting, I said I was a free agent looking for an NFL team to pair up with for next season. Cross off Dallas. After the signing of Terrell Owens, it pretty much made my decision easier. I mean, this is a guy who: Called his former QB gay (Jeff Garcia), criticized his other QB for not having heart in the Super Bowl (Donavan McNabb), had run-ins with coaches (insert any name fron San Francisco-Philadelphia here), and got kicked off his own NFL team when he griped about a contract that he signed! Anyway, Jerry Jones thinks he is the man that can control TO. If I'm Bill Parcells, I fax my resignation into Valley Ranch and to Jean-Jacques Taylor at the Dallas Morning News. I don't even have a conference. I'm gone. At this stage of Parcells' career, he doesn't need the hassle. Look what happened to Antonio Bryant when he tried to throw attitude towards Parcells. Now, I'm not comparing Bryant to Owens, because that's not even a fair fight. But, Parcells has two rings. His place in NFL lore is secure. With nobody on the current Cowboys roster to remind Owens of his place in the world (save for Roy Williams, who should just tackle him from behind again), TO will destroy the Cowboys. And, tops on my list of questions with this signing is this: Why would you sign a guy who disrespected the star at mid-field? At least they Cowboys got rid of Larry Allen, the guy who can lift a house, but can't run a wind sprint to save his life. I've been saying it for a long time now that they should have traded Allen while he still had some worth, but I wasn't consulted on personnel decisions by the club. Now, I know what some people are going to say: Larry Allen was an All-Pro. He did this, he did that....etc. You know what? If I'm 350-375 pounds, and can bench press over 750, I'll win whatever battle I'm in on the offensive line. That's a no-brainer. What he did was take up space for someone that could do a better job. I'm not saying he wasn't a fine player. I'm saying this move came far too late for Dallas to benefit from it. In this day and age, you can't fall in love with a player, just because he's a link to the "glory years". If that's the case, Tom Glavine would still be in Atlanta, and do NOT get me started on that subject.
Memo to the IRL- You guys are classless. When a guy dies, as one did yesterday at Homestead, you don't go ahead and hold the race. Have some respect. You're better than that!
Today, we take a look at the AFC West
Kansas City- First thing they need is a coach who won't cry like a little girl every time a microphone is placed in front of him. Oh wait, they got that. They'll definitely need to look at a QB, cause Trent Green is no spring chicken, and his coach is gone. They should cut Priest Holmes today. Larry Johnson proved he can tote the rock, and with Holmes' concussion history, he's damaged goods. Keeping Will Shields was a plus for them. They'll probably tweak the defense some more, since their defense has really stunk up the joint the past few seasons. Herman Edwards will have this team knocking on the door of the play-offs within a season.
Denver- Well, I would say they need a running back, with the loss of Anderson, but it doesn't seem to matter in Denver. Tatum Bell looks to be the next man up in the Denver running system. They'll need an upgrade at wideout, with Rod Smith getting on in years, and Ashley Lelie is not the answer. Since they moved way up in the first round, I look for them to take a WR, possibly Santonio Holmes out of Ohio State. Denver went deep in the playoffs, so some fine tuning is all they need.
Oakland- Come on. I don't have the time to list all that's wrong with them. Remember the days of Oakland stretching the field with the vertical game? So does Al Davis. Trouble is, he thinks he can revive those days. Anyway, all I know about the Raiders now is Robert Gallery, and he's an offensive lineman. When a lineman is your most recognizeable player, you have problems. They rid themselves of Kerry "The Quitter" Collins, so that was a good move. They brought back Art Shell. Not because they really wanted him, but because he was the only person who would actually take on this type of rebuilding project under the meddlesome eye of Davis. Oakland is sad. plain and simple.
Seattle- First, they need a crying towel for their coach. Were they the first team to lose a game because of questionable officiating? ANyway, they keep Shaun Alexander, so that solves the running back problem. They lose Steve Hutchinson from their offensive line to free agency, so he'll need to be replaced. Can it be done from within, or will they take someone in the draft? They'll have a lot of time to think about it, since they pick near the bottom of the pile in the upcoming draft. Will Winston Justice from USC still be there when they pick? And will they finally get the whole 12th Man issue settled with Texas A&M? Seattle could make another strong run next season.
There it is. Fresh off the presses. Baseball starts in less than a week. Will the Yankees be another momumentally expensive failure? Will the Red Sox re-capture some of their World Seris magic? Will the White Sox be able to defend their title? Will someone throw at Barry Bonds (I know I would....right in his earhole!)? Can the Braves pitching be near as good without Mazzone? Can St. Louis finally bring home a title? And, can we just go ahead and move the Marlins somewhere else? Joe Girardi doesn't deserve to be given a glorified team of minor leaguers. And, while we're asking all of these questions, will this finally be the year that someone tells Tim McCarver to shut up?
See you next time.
Patrick
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